Reviews

My Brilliant Career

A new musical based on the novel by Miles Franklin. Book by Sheridan Harbridge & Dean Bryant, music by Mathew Frank and lyrics by Dean Bryant. Presented by Melbourne Theatre Company. Directed by Anne-Louise Sarks. Southbank Theatre, The Sumner, 140 Southbank Blvd, Melbourne. 23 January – 28 February 2026.

This iconic Australian novel seems an unlikely contender for a musical adaptation. However, this production transforms the novel into a vibrant contemporary performance that inevitably sweeps the audience away. This is thanks to a variety of strengths that make this an unmissable and fabulously idiosyncratic Australian experience.

Perfect Arrangement

By Topher Payne. Director Patrick Kennedy. New Theatre Newtown. 4 Feb – 7 Mar, 2026

American playwright Topher Payne’s Perfect Arrangement is based on the Lavender Scare, the purge of gay employees from government institutions in America during the 1950s. Occurring in conjunction with McCarthy’s anti-communist rampage, it led to thousands of federal employees losing their jobs.

Not a funny theme, but Payne believes “If you can make someone laugh, they listen. And they learn”. And Perfect Arrangement does just that. It is a treatise wrapped initially in the warmth of a comedy.

Bell, Book and Candle

By John Van Druten. Tugun Theatre Company. Tugun Community Centre, Gold Coast. February 6 – 28, 2025

A coven of Witches have invaded Tugun Community Centre for Tugun Theatre Company’s production of Bell, Book and Candle!

First time director, Petz Shulz, has assembled a great cast (including the mandatory black cat named Pyewacket) in staging this Spellbinding story.

QSO Favourites

Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO), conducted by Douglas Boyd, Concert Hall, Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), 7 February 2026

Featuring music voted as favourite by QSO audiences and internationally renowned conductor, Douglas Boyd, this introduction to the orchestra’s 2026 season featured a truly enjoyable menu of uplifting and inspiring musical treats. Glenn Christensen was our Concertmaster and, to add to the enjoyment, the programme was presented by self-confessed musical adventurer and QSO fan, Ed Le Brocq, who did some introductions, put us in the picture with some musical backgrounds, and interviewed the conductor on stage.

17 Again: The Musical

Book by Marco Pennete. Music and Lyrics by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner. Based on the New Line Cinema Film written by Jason Filardi. Beenleigh Theatre Group. Directed by Lachlan Dodd. Crete St Theatre, Beenleigh. February 6 – 21, 2026

Beenleigh Theatre Group’s 17 Again: The Musical, playing at Crete St Theatre this February, is a bright, high-energy adaptation. Directed by Lachlan Dodd, this pop-rock musical leans hard into nostalgia, big emotions, and high-energy ensemble work, telling a familiar but crowd-pleasing story about regret, second chances, and figuring out what really matters once the shine has worn off. The production embraces the story’s fun, magical realism and big-hearted comedy, delivering a show that feels both familiar yet refreshing.  

Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club

Devised and written by Helen Cassidy, Lizzie Moore, Neridah Waters, Melissa Western. Produced by: Western Standard Productions. Brisbane Powerhouse. 6–7 February 2026

The first rule of Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club is you must TALK about Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club. The second rule of Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club is, if one of your friends is triggered by the mention of carrying a watermelon for Patrick Swayze, then you must refresh her beverage. And if this is your first time at Dirty Fame Flash Candles Club, you must dance!

Skank Sinatra – The Name on Everyone’s Lips

Written & Performed by Jens Radda (Skank Sinatra). Sandra Nandagopan on Keys. Midsumma Festival. Theatre Travels. Chapel off Chapel. 6 & 7 February 2026

Hyper-glam, big hair blonde drag artist Jens Rada hails from Denmark via South Africa and WAAPA Music Theatre.  The show, Skank Sinatra has already garnered awards at Adelaide Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Fringe, and Melbourne Fringe.  It’s not hard to see why. 

Fun Home

By Jeanine Tesori (Music) and Lisa Kron (Book and Lyrics), based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Presented by Lindsay Street Players at Young People’s Theatre Newcastle. February 7–15, 2025.

Most in the arts and entertainment industry, and those in certain circles, would have long been aware of the Bechdel test, the simple tool used to assess the portrayal and representation of women in media. But until Fun Home, many didn’t know the incredible story of the test’s creator, Alison Bechdel, the now much-celebrated lesbian cartoonist from America.

Much To Do With Law, But More To Do With Love

By Danish Sheikh. Midsumma. Director: Vidya Rajan. Design: Asha Barr. Dramaturge: Gabrielle Fallen. Gasworks 21 Graham Street, Albert Park, Vic. 4 – 7 February 2026

Danish Sheikh loves not just the law, but also words. He believes in the power of both and in this play he uses cleverly crafted, poetic, and sometimes startling words to contemplate and question the law and his relationship with it. In this solo performance he self-deprecatingly uses a combination of lecture, performance and multimedia presentation to delve into his history with the law and how words can privilege or disappear experiences.

Vanya, In Our Time

Adapted by the ensemble from Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekov. Presented by Famous Last Words. Carrick Hill, SA. 5-8 February 2026

It’s a beautiful summer evening and the small crowd gather beneath a tree, its rustling, dry leaves the only sound atop the vista overlooking the city of Adelaide. A man sleeps peacefully on a bench, woken only by a car that pulls up in a hurry, and a young man runs out towards the imposing house beyond.

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